Over the centuries, they have developed specific agricultural, social and architectural practices, building a veritable alpine civilization.
Discover our heritage
Guided heritage toursA little history
Nevertheless, it was in the Middle Ages that La Grave established itself as the administrative and commercial center of the Haut-Oisans region. The village is said to have been the largest community in the Oisans region, with more inhabitants than Bourg d'Oisans!
" Nine months of winter, three months of hell " was the agricultural rhythm imposed by the harshness of the climate, with the cold season also leading to the exile of men who specialized over time in peddling.
In the Second Empire, the epic construction of the Col du Lautaret road broke the isolation of the Haute-Romanche, and had the dual effect of speeding up the rural exodus while bringing the beginnings of summer tourism: new activities (inns, coach houses) were already springing up, fueled jointly by road travelers and mountaineers who were beginning to tackle this difficult massif: La Meije would be the last major Alpine peak to be conquered in 1877 by Pierre Gaspard .
Notably with the first lifts to the village resort of Le Chazelet in 1964.
The second wind, however, came with the construction of the Glaciers de la Meije cable cars, completed in 1978: effortless access to the panoramic views at 3,200 m was a popular choice for summer visitors, and later for freeride skiers from all over the world.
Have you noticed the unusual shape of the crosses in the cemetery?
Various interpretations have been put forward, none of which has been conclusively verified. The most credible hypothesis is undoubtedly the simplest: the triangle represented the Holy Trinity and the circle the oneness of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The villages of La Grave and Villar d'Arène
The village of La Grave and its hamlets
Classed as one of the most beautiful villages in France thanks to its panoramic location, discover this authentic village facing the Meije.
La Grave and its hamlets
The village of Villar d'Arène and its hamlets
Installé à 1650 m d’altitude au pied des mythiques sommets des Écrins et aux portes du Parc national des Écrins, découvrez ce village résolument montagnard
Villar d'arène and its hamlets
treasures treasures
- Visit Villar d'Arène's bread oven to see how peasants made traditional boiled bread, or pain noir, and to understand why they only made it once a year.
- Take a tour of the mill's ecomuseum to learn more about working in the fields and growing rye in days gone by.
- Explore the hidden treasures of Villar d'Arène's alleyways on the Fountain Tour.
- Find out when you can visit the chapels and churches of La Grave and its hamlets, or take part in a heritage hike.
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The mystery of the Chazelet attics
The hamlet of Le Chazelet boasts a dozen small wooden granaries whose exact date of construction is impossible to determine. These are the only examples in the whole canton, and similar models can only be found in Savoie, Haute-Savoie or the Pyrenees, whereas in the Hautes-Alpes they are usually made of stone. Their function is the same: to store household goods (grain, food and valuables). The use of wood here is a mystery, given the scarcity of this material at La Grave... This form of architecture could therefore be very old, perhaps predating deforestation?
Bleytes" as fuel
On some traditional houses, you'll notice the presence of small balconies made of pieces of planking... In local dialect, they're called "galarîas". In the past (and sometimes still today), these dilapidated structures were used to store "bleytes", sheep dung bricks used for winter heating, wood being a very rare commodity in the canton. They are traditionally stored on the south-facing side of the houses to allow the sun to dry them. The smell of smoke coming out of the chimney is very particular and reminds us of the harshness of life in the past.
The "Pô Buli" tradition
In the past, bread was only made once a year for the whole village, and the inhabitants kept it all year round. Wood was scarce, and when the oven was lit, it was to make the year's bread. Before long, its crust became so hard that it had to be cut with a saw and dipped in soup or milk. Like the people of Le Chazelet and Ventelon, the Faranchins perpetuate this tradition by getting together for a week during the All Saints' vacation in October to bake bread in the communal oven according to the ancestral recipe.